Monday, May 02, 2011

Al Parker: 3 Decades of TV Guide Covers

That's pretty amazing actually: with the way tastes change, how many other illustrators could claim to have done work for a single magazine client for three decades (and to get to do the covers at that)? Another example of how tremendously versatile and adaptable Al Parker was.

The '50s

The '60s

The '70s

* Many thanks to TI list member Tom Johnsonn who, out of the blue, sent all of today's scans one day last week. I always like to include a link to a contributor's website as a way of saying thanks. Since Tom doesn't have a website, he suggested I include one to his son Ted's site Pilates Any Time. "Ted's doing really well with this site," writes Tom. "Maybe there are some sedentary artists who might be interested in getting fit?"

5 comments:

Al Parker was so versatile in his technique, and always had a unique innovative design solution. Overall, he may have been the single most influential illustrator of the entire mid century. Few other illustrators had his enormous sense of design and creative prowess, and most of them were looking over his shoulder. He was also one of the nicest super stars, you could ever meet.The greatest experience as a young illustration student, was visiting four hours with Al Parker in his studio in Carmel Valley, CA, April 5, 1959. I only wish I had thought to bring a camera.. and a tape recorder. ;-)

You can see the genetic code for the following two decades of illustration in those 1950s covers. The first spark of Bob Peak is in that Lucille Ball cover, the Amsel in that Doris day cover, the Bernie Fuchs in that Vince Edwards cover. And of course Weaver, Martin, etc. etc. A lot of artists made careers from ideas that Parker picked up and put back down on the road to somewhere else.

My only question is, what in the WORLD was he thinking with that dog cover of Dinah Shore???